| Acetanilide | 1·16 | grains. |
| Phenacetin | 1·16 | ” |
| Caffeine | 0·38 | grain. |
The directions were to take one powder, “repeat in an hour if necessary, then every two or three hours until a cure is effected.” Yet it is guaranteed to be an instant cure! There was a notice that it was not to be given to children below 12 years of age.
In this case also an “analyst’s report” was given on the wrapper; it stated that the powder “is composed of several organo-therapeutic agents well-known in medicine”; probably the “analyst” did not mean quite what he said in the following: “In my opinion, the preparation is well calculated to fulfil the purpose for which it is intended, namely—neurotic affections.”
The estimated cost of the drugs (27 grains) in a package is ¼d.
KAPUTINE.
This preparation, put up by an English Company, is stated to cure in ten minutes headache, neuralgia, and all nerve pains. In view of the similarity in composition of these articles, the claims to uniqueness are amusing. In this case the wrapper bore the words “Nothing as good. Nothing similar,” while on the circular enclosed in the package it was stated that “Kaputine is composed of several approved ingredients. That is, unlike the white headache powders, which consist solely of one crude drug, and which have frequently been condemned as dangerous by the Medical Press—Kaputine is most carefully prepared from several ingredients which have the absolute confidence of the Medical Profession.”
The price of 18 powders is 1s. 1½d. The average weight of one powder was 6·6 grains; the weight of individual powders in a package varied from 5·7 to 7·5 grains.
Analysis showed the composition of the powder to be:
| Acetanilide | 6·30 | grains. |
| Ferric oxide | 0·05 | ” |
| Sugar | 0·21 | ” |
That is, the acetanilide was tinted pink with what is practically the saccharated carbonate of iron of the British Pharmacopœia.